Obituaries / LJWorld.com

Obituaries

Fred Hageman, 75, of Lawrence, KS, died Sunday, November 4, 2012. Fred was born in Bunkie, LA to Fred and Melba Hageman and was raised by his grandmother. He was preceded in death by his wife, Betsy Hageman (1999) and his sister, Regye. He is survived by his five children, Tracy (Boise, ID), Fred J (Cameron Park, CA), Joe (Boise, ID), Nikki (Lee’s Summit, MO), and Regye (Geneva, IL). He also leaves behind his 11 beloved grandchildren.
Fred came from very humble beginnings and worked hard to become a football great. He attended Batesville High (AR) where he was the school’s first All State athlete and was inducted into the Batesville Area Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992. He attended Kansas University where he was a 2 time All Big Eight Center and linebacker and is KU’s “Center of the Century.” In addition, Fred is on KU’s First Team “All-Time Football Team.” He was Captain of KU’s team and was a two way starter and the team leader of arguably the best KU team in history, the 1960 Big 8 Champions. He also won the Big 8 Lineman of the Year award his senior season and he played in four post season bowl games. He earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Kansas.
He was a very high round draft pick in the NFL and was the immediate starting linebacker for the Washington Redskins. He was a finalist for NFL Rookie of the Year his first year in the league. He played for 5 NFL seasons with the Redskins and Chicago Bears. He later became a very successful businessman, with a focus on real estate. His passion was his family, football and golf.
A “Gentle Giant” with a great sense of humor, he will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, Fred wished to have a scholarship fund started in his memory for underprivileged kids at his high school alma mater. Donations can be made to “Pappy’s Fund” at University National Bank, 1400 Kasold, Lawrence, KS 66049. Services are pending.
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